U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a bipartisan bill to increase transparency and protect the privacy of Montanans from government surveillance. The bill would require public reporting and notice of the hundreds of thousands of criminal surveillance orders issued by courts each year, which are typically sealed indefinitely, keeping government surveillance hidden for years, even when the targets are never charged with any crime.
“It’s simple–Montanans have a Constitutional right to know if their personal information has been searched or seized or if they’re being investigated by the government,” Daines said. “We must increase transparency regarding government surveillance while maintaining the integrity of investigations.”
Daines’ bill, the “Government Surveillance Transparency Act,” is co-sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
Read the bill text HERE.
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Contact: Rachel Dumke, Katie Schoettler